The invention relates to T cell immunity to viral antigens.
Hepatitis is a disorder involving inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis C (HCV) is a form of hepatitis caused by an RNA virus. This pathogen accounts for many of the hepatitis cases previously referred to as non-A, non-B hepatitis. HCV is believed to cause between 150,000 and 250,000 new cases of hepatitis in the United States each year. Hemophiliacs and drug abusers are at the greatest risk, but anyone can contract the disease. Transmission often occurs through a blood transfusion, administration of blood products that were contaminated with hepatitis C, or by sharing needles with intravenous drug users that were infected with the virus. At present, there is no vaccine to prevent HCV infection in humans.